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Education funding cuts pay for carbon tax cash giveaways

At the same time as the Gillard Labor Government is offering some
parents a School Kids cash giveaway, it is slashing education
spending by $3.9 billion, Federal Member for Wide Bay Warren
Truss said today.

“Julia Gillard’s Christmas time claim to be passionate about
education is undermined by her own Government’s actions – cutting
education spending,” Mr Truss said.

“Many parents were unaware that Labor announced $3.9 billion in
cuts to education just before Christmas last year. At a
time when Australia’s unemployment rate is rising, Labor has
scrapped or delayed funding to a range of apprenticeship,
training, and higher education programs.

“All of these cuts are on top of the $600 million budget cut to
Labor’s 2007 election computers in schools program, which has
been axed,” Mr Truss said.

Mr Truss said that the Gillard Government had been caught out
being deceptive and tricky, by spinning its latest cash hand out
as a School Kids Bonus.

“Labor is trying to mask its $3.9 billion cut to education by
spending $8.5 million on advertising its School Kids Bonus.
Branding the School Kids Bonus as an education related payment is
misleading.

“The so called School Kids Bonus cash giveaway has nothing to do
with education and everything to do with Labor’s carbon
tax. You do not have to provide education related receipts
to claim the “bonus”, the payment can be spent on anything.
Your children do not even need to be going to school to claim the
bonus.”

Mr Truss said the payment is designed to compensate some parents
for spiraling cost of living pressures, made worse by Labor’s
ineffective carbon tax.

“Parents know that electricity and other household costs have
risen due to Labor’s unnecessary carbon tax, making life
harder. The best way to bring the cost of living down for
everyone is to axe the carbon tax,” Mr Truss said.

“Childcare costs have also skyrocketed under Labor as a direct
result of Labor’s policies. Experts have warned that in three
years parents may pay $100 a day for childcare.”

“Australians cannot afford another three years of an unstable
Government, cobbled together with Labor, the Independents and
minor parties.

“The Liberal and National Parties have a plan to restore
accountability, repair our nation’s finances, stop the waste, and
to scrap Labor’s carbon tax, to help households and business ease
cost of living pressures.”
Warren Truss MP
Federal Member for Wide Bay
Leader of The Nationals
Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
05 February 2013